Extinction differs from punishment in that extinction involves

Extinction differs from punishment in that extinction involves

• A. Withholding reinforcement to reduce behavior
• B. Adding an aversive stimulus to reduce behavior
• C. Increasing punishment intensity
• D. Rewarding the behavior to encourage it

Answer: (A)

Extinction is about stopping the reinforcement that previously kept a behavior going. When the behavior no longer results in attention, rewards, or other reinforcement, it tends to decrease over time. That withholding of reinforcement is what drives extinction, so it best fits the description. For example, if a child previously received attention for calling out, but attention is no longer given, the calling-out behavior is likely to diminish. In contrast, punishment works by adding an aversive consequence or removing a positive one to decrease behavior, or by increasing the punishment, which is not what extinction describes. Rewarding the behavior would actually strengthen it, not reduce it.

Extinction is about stopping the reinforcement that previously kept a behavior going. When the behavior no longer results in attention, rewards, or other reinforcement, it tends to decrease over time. That withholding of reinforcement is what drives extinction, so it best fits the description.

For example, if a child previously received attention for calling out, but attention is no longer given, the calling-out behavior is likely to diminish.

In contrast, punishment works by adding an aversive consequence or removing a positive one to decrease behavior, or by increasing the punishment, which is not what extinction describes. Rewarding the behavior would actually strengthen it, not reduce it.